1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to stove top covers for recreational vehicles and to food cutting and slicing boards.
2. Description of Prior Art
Stove top covers for recreational vehicles have become available and are in general use for three basic reasons:
1. To provide additional counter space to augment the very limited work/storage surface available in recreational vehicle kitchens.
2. To quiet the rattle and vibrations caused by the typical stove burners and grates when recreational vehicles are in motion.
3. To enhance the appearance of the kitchen area in recreational vehicles by concealing the stove top cooking surface.
Stove top covers currently designed for recreational vehicles may provide one or more of these functions.
They are generally metal covers that fold up to expose some or all of the concealed burners when cooking is desired. Some such covers attach directly to the stove top, while others surround the stove top and rest on the counter. At least one type of current stove top cover is a rectangular board type which has projections attached to the underside to fit into the centers of the stove burner rings.
Stove top covers which attach directly to the stove top usually provide concealment of the burners and added counter space but fail to suppress the stove rattle. Instead, they often generate additional rattling due to metal-to-metal contact between the cover and the stove burners.
Those stove top covers which fit completely over the stove top and rest on the counter normally do not touch the burner grates and therefore do not generate any rattle of their own, but neither do they quiet the inherent rattle of the stove burner and grate when the vehicle is in motion.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,115,797 to Hurner (1992) shows a stove top cover consisting of a flat rectangular platform having projections attached by screws to the underside designed to fit into the central openings of the stove burner grates, thus holding the cover in place and quieting the burner and grate rattle.
A disadvantage in Hurner's cover is the requirement that the cover must be designed specifically for a particular model of recreational vehicle stove, in order that the projections (feet) will fit properly into the center of each burner grate. Therefore, separate models of the cover, each with a different stock number, are required. As a result, the cover is not readily adaptable to stocking by a distributor.
Hurner's cover also requires considerable space to store out of the way when using the stove for cooking, since the projecting feet do not allow sliding the cover into a narrow space.
Additionally, the feet on Hurner's cover must be sheathed with a rubber-like substance in order to provide the function of suppressing rattle and vibration between the feet and the stove burner grates.
The requirements of having multiple models and sheathing the feet with dampening material result in substantial manufacturing expenses and therefore a relatively high cost to the consumer.
While cutting boards are generally available and in common use, storage space in most recreational vehicles is at such a premium that there is frequently no satisfactory niche in which to carry a substantial, full size cutting board for use in food preparation.